Culture

CULTURE

One thing is certain; there is always something to do at CU Boulder.

From classical concerts to fascinating exhibits to never-before-seen plays, the CU Boulder campus is teeming with culture year-round. Whether you’re a cinephile, an art aficionado or an equal opportunity arts lover, you won’t want for activities while you’re here. For complete, up-to-date listings of all campus events, visit colorado.edu/events.

Theatre and Dance

The Department of Theatre & Dance is a community of students, scholars, artists and artisans who regard the collaborative and creative process as the core of education. The department puts its education and skills to practice with unique shows held year-round.

College of Music

Every year, the College of Music presents hundreds of performances, master classes and educational events that shine a spotlight on jazz, classical music, opera and the avant garde. Performances feature world-renowned faculty musicians, student talent and international guest artists. Most events are free and open to the public.

CU Presents

CU Presents offers the best in performing arts on the CU Boulder campus, including the professionally curated Artist Series, the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, the Eklund Opera Program, the annual Holiday Festival, the world-renowned Takács Quartet and more.

For information or tickets, visit cupresents.org or call the box office at 303-492-8008

CU Art Museum

Located in the Visual Arts Complex, the CU Art Museum is a resource for the CU Boulder campus, local community and beyond. It is a place to exchange ideas, inspire collaboration, foster compassion, fuel imagination and transcend boundaries. With a collection of over 8,000 objects representing thousands of years of global history, the museum presents a variety of exhibitions each year in its five galleries and 8,000 square feet of exhibition space. The exhibitions range from historic to contemporary in content and presentation.

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

The University of Colorado Museum of Natural History fosters exploration and appreciation of the natural world and human cultures through its exhibits and programs. With extraordinary fossils, ancient stone tools, contemporary baskets and current field research, the museum’s exhibitions always amaze and inspire visitors. The BioLounge provides a congenial place to meet and study while immersing yourself in natural history. Located in the Henderson Building at 15th Street and Broadway, next to the UMC, the museum is open seven days a week, free of charge. (The museum is closed on all university holidays.)

Athletics

CU sponsors 17 varsity intercollegiate sports, with both the men and women competing in basketball, cross country, golf, and track and field (indoor and outdoor). Skiing (alpine and Nordic) is a coed team, and there are women’s programs in lacrosse, soccer, tennis and volleyball. CU Boulder has won 28 national championships, most recently winning the men’s cross country and skiing titles in 2014–15. The Buffaloes are members of the Pac-12 Conference, known as the “conference of champions” with almost twice as many NCAA titles as any other league. CU competes against schools from five states: Arizona, California, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The CU Athletic Ticket Office is on the first floor of CU’s brand new Champions Center, located on the northeast corner of the Boulder campus.

Cultural Events Board

The Cultural Events Board (CEB) has a long and proud history of sponsoring thought-provoking discussion on campus. Topics vary from issues in the Middle East, to the role of women in art and music, to the importance of advocating for diversity in our multicultural society. CEB allocates student fee funds to student groups that host events promoting multicultural opportunities and education on campus.

FISKE PLANETARIUM

Fiske Planetarium reopened its doors in fall 2013 after a major renovation project, making it one of the most sophisticated planetariums and multimedia centers in the country, with a state-of-the-art digital theater system providing an unrivaled immersion experience. In addition to its use as a teaching facility for astronomy and other classes, Fiske Planetarium offers hands-on exhibits, star talks, star shows, laser shows and space science presentations to school children and public audiences. It seats 210 people and boasts a 65-foot diameter projection screen. Science on a Sphere, a free exhibit in the Fiske lobby, provides a spectacular view of the earth and planets as if they are floating in space.

Sommers-Bausch Observatory

Located behind Fiske Planetarium on top of Observatory Hill, Sommers-Bausch Observatory has 16-, 18- and 24-inch aperture Cassegrain telescopes for astronomy classes and student research. Instrumentation is available for direct imaging and spectroscopy, and includes CCD cameras and computers for data processing. The observatory is open to the public for free telescope viewings (planets, stars, nebulae and galaxies) on Friday evenings (weather permitting) throughout the fall, spring and summer semesters whenever CU Boulder is in session.

International Film Series

The International Film Series was established in 1941 and is Boulder’s first and longest-running art house film series. Locally programmed, it brings an eclectic mix of foreign and independent films, balancing classics with premieres. In 2007 it was selected by Sundance Institute as one of only 12 art house venues in the nation to participate in the Art House Project. Most IFS films screen during the fall and spring semesters in the Muenzinger Auditorium (400 seats) just west of Folsom Field. Some additional shows are presented in the Visual Arts Complex basement auditorium (200 seats).

Program Council

This student-run organization is dedicated to bringing high-quality entertainment to the Boulder campus and community. Since 1953, the Program Council has hosted hundreds of popular concert acts such as The Rolling Stones, Dave Matthews Band and Pretty Lights. Additionally, the Program Council hosts national and local musicians in Club 156, an intimate venue located in the UMC.

Program Council also hosts a Friday Night Film series, which screens everything from yet-to-be released movies to cult classics. The films are shown in the Cristol Chemistry and Biochemistry Building (room 140).